Denfert-Rochereau (Novel)
•Denfert-Rochereau is a novel that tells
the story of a Paris in destruction by the war in parallel of the end of three villages of the Saguenay-St. John
Lake in Québec. A young man enclosed in the catacombs of Paris attempt to reach the plenitude by the
discovery of God. While he knows that he is going to die soon, he lives nevertheless a rebirth that coincides with
the birth of some villages very far from him. But some people will make him believe that above Paris is on
fire, thus its visions will relate to the destruction of villages of Val-Jalbert (desertion), St. Jean Vianney
(unstable land) and St. Cyriac (flood).
•It is through the history of his ancestors
that the young man will understand the multiple segregations that form in collectivities, small secret societies
of knowledge that no one can easily penetrate. Like for example universities, professional associations,
religious movements, philosophy, politics, justice and even cooking. The novel shows that the initiation is never
happening without losing some liberties and a loss of identity. It is a Novel of initiation, at the limit of the
esoteric plane that describes the universe of a religious sect by demonstrating that the society in general
is functioning on the same principles.
•The religious sects. How are we attracted
to them? Why do we remain there even in the most gregarious conditions? Why do we put our life into
question even when we have heard all the horror stories? A mystical philosophy, a hidden knowledge attracts us
and keeps us there. René is locked up underground at Denfert-Rochereau. What is he doing there? He
tries to reach inner peace by the discovery of God. He hears the words of the Master, he will be initiated to the
hidden world, a mystical philosophy that only the initiates know about. His doubts, his misery, his hopes, are just
the beginning of his training. Novel of initiation in the style of Virgile’s Eneide and Homer’s Odyssey.
•Denfert-Rochereau was written while I was
studying in Paris and exploring the tunnels leading to the catacombs under Montsouris Park. This is where I got
the idea for the novel. It was my first real novel or normal type of book. It was painful to write near the end
as it did not come from the heart, I was forcing myself to write it. It did work and I am very proud of the book,
but it was not something poetic that I could read 100 times and recite by heart. I was born to write, but to
write what I really feel is right. Writing for me is a need and it is only
great when it
comes naturally. All my previous books until Denfert-Rochereau came to me
naturally and writing them was no effort.
•I did discover new things though with the
novel: I could still pass along philosophies and ideas via my characters and the situations. Moreover, I did not
need to endorse these opinions even though I could defend and attack at the same time many important themes and
points of view.